The Dragon Unleashed
by Always Under Estimated
Summary: This is a wrong Boy-Who-Lived fanfiction, in which the Longbottoms happen to be the ones Voldemort went after that fateful night of Halloween. Neville's grandparents died saving him and he survived the Killing Curse. Harry with a greater destiny than canon version. Good snape. Evil Dumbledore. Egoistic Longbottoms. Harry/Fleur, but pairing doesn't start till sequel.


**This is a wrong Boy-Who-Lived fanfiction, in which the Longbottoms happen to be the ones Voldemort went after that fateful night of Halloween. Neville's grandparents died saving him and he survived the Killing Curse. Harry, on the other hand, grew up just like he should have in the canon version-surrounded by parents and siblings in a loving environment. It is Neville's destiny to face off Voldemort, but Harry's destiny is even grander. Inspired by "Harry Potter: The First Grey Mage", but the only points taken from it are Harry being a grey mage, and the inclusion of Grindlewald. Adding the Flamels was inspired by a lot of fanfics. Of course, I'm not counting the WBWL idea, because it's fairly common in fandom. The plot is all mine. Good Snape, Evil Dumbledore, egoistic Longbottoms. The pairing is Harry/Fleur, but it won't start in this book. I'm not really into 11-year olds being romantically involved. **

**Anyway, I hope you would enjoy it. I had completed this one quite a few months ago, and am currently working on the sequel. Or rather was, as I haven't found the time to focus again ever since I started university. Reviews will be appreciated.****_~AlwaysUnderEstimated._****Disclaimer: ****I do not own Harry Potter or any of the original characters or plots.****Chapter 1.****And So It Begins.**

The month of July was nearing its end, but the summer's warm spell was still in effect. As the sun rose over the British countryside, the inhabitant of a richly decorated bedroom in Potter Manor woke up with a long yawn. Stretching his arms, he hopped off his Queen-sized bed before his sleepy face broke into a huge grin. It was the 30th of July- his birthday! Quickly going through his morning routine, he changed into a green polo shirt and black denim jeans. Then he made his way down to the family dining room where his parents and siblings were waiting for him with gleeful expressions.

"Happy Birthday Harry!" They all shouted in unison before his mother scooped him up in her arms.

"O God! My little baby is already eleven years old. You grew up so fast! It seems just yesterday when I used to change your diapers and sing you lullabies." Lily Potter said with tears streaming down her face. In the background, James Potter and his younger son Alex could be heard snickering at the obvious discomfort of the Potter heir.

"Mum!" Harry sputtered indignantly, like any self-respecting 11-year old would at such a statement.

"Lily-flower, stop acting like he's going to disappear overnight or something. He isn't that cruel a prankster, after all." James said before hugging his eldest son sideways.

"Happy 11th birthday son!" He said. "As you know, today you officially ascended from Heir Presumptive to Heir Apparent of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Potter. I've taken the day off, so we'll be heading off to Gringotts right after breakfast. Now, I believe your mother is having trouble restraining her urge to stuff you with her delicious cooking." He ended with a smirk.

"Hey Big B, you'd be back in time for the party we're throwing you tonight, right?" Harry's little sister, Rose, asked.

"Yes Rose, of course." Harry replied, smiling at his 5-years old sister. "I wouldn't want to miss your gift now, would I?"

Rose had a strict rule about birthday presents for family. You had to be present in the family-only birthday party to receive the gift. If you're not there by the deadline she set up, you don't get any gifts- except the cold shoulder for a few weeks at least. Sirius Black, Harry's godfather, had learnt it the hard way.

During breakfast, a screech owl came through the window and deposited a letter on the table. It bore the following address.

_Mr. Harry Potter, Potter Manor, Godric's Hollow, England._

Harry turned it over to find it sealed with a crest that, as every British wizard-raised child knew, belonged to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardy- the premier school of magic in Britain. He tore the seal and took out the contents of the letter. There were two sheets of parchment in the envelope. One was from Minerva McGonagall, the Deputy Headmistress, informing him of his acceptance to the school; while the other listed his requisite supplies.

"Well, son, looks like we'll have to schedule another trip to Diagon Alley tomorrow to buy your supplies. O Merlin! Hogwarts won't know what hit it!" James rubbed his hand gleefully, a thousand plans running amok in his mind.

"James darling." Lily said in a sweet voice that chilled her husband down to the bones. "I'm sure you wouldn't buy him any joke stuff, would you?"

"No, no! Of course not!" James hastened a reply, turning his kids' chuckles into full blown laughter to the point that they were rolling around on the floor.

Lily was from being done. However, their fireplace chose that moment to roar to life, revealing Sirius Black and Remus Lupin as they stepped out of the floo network.

"Prongs! Lils'! We're home!" Sirius shouted, whereas Remus just rolled his eyes at Sirius' antics.

"Hi Sirius! Hi Remus! How are my best friends this morning?" James asked, obviously relieved at the sudden interruption.

"I'm good, though Sirius isn't being serious." Remus smirked at the intended pun. "On a side note, I believe we have gotten way off-course. Happy birthday Harry."

"Yeah Harry, happy birthday. I entirely blame my best friends for making me delay such an important task."Sirius said dramatically.

"Thanks Uncle Remus and Uncle Sirius! Oh! And look. I got my Hogwarts letter!" Harry said excitedly.

"That's superb, pup!" Sirius exclaimed. "Though there was never a doubt that you would go there." No one missed the underlying message- _you better prank 'em out of their minds! _

"Enough with the chit-chat, boys. Hurry up and finish your breakfast so we can proceed ahead on our schedules." Lily said sternly.

It was nearly 11 in the morning when Harry and James stepped out of the floo network at the _Leaky Cauldron_, a frequently visited pub that served as the entrance to Diagon Alley- the hub of wizarding Britain. Waving to the bar's owner, Tom, they headed out of the backdoor towards a brick wall. James used his wand to tap a few bricks on the wall, causing the wall to shift into an archway leading into Diagon Alley. As it was nearly noon, the Alley was bustling with activity. Wizards and witches wearing different types and colours of robes were going about their business. Traversing through the busy streets, the Potter duo headed towards Gringotts- a tall, white, marble building located near the end of the commercial part of Diagon Alley. Two stoic goblins stood guard on either side of the gigantic marble doors. Above the door, a grave warning to thieves was engraved in the marble.

In the lobby, they went to the nearest teller.

"Good morning, teller. This is Lord James Potter and my heir, Harry. Please inform Account Manager Silverclaw of our arrival." James said to the goblin, who said something to another goblin in Gobbledygook, before telling the two humans to wait for a while.

A few minutes later, the goblin came back and motioned them to follow him. After taking a few turns and walking down a long corridor, they came in front of a pair of large oak doors engraved with a magnificent crest. The doors opened to reveal a lavishly decorated office with a large table up centre. Seated behind the table was a large goblin who, according to the plaque at the desk, was Account Manager Silverclaw.

"Welcome, Lord Potter and Heir Potter." Silverclaw said with a toothy smile.

Harry, deciding to take a leaf out of the Goblin Culture books he had read, responded. "Thank you; Account Manager. May your coffers flow with gold."

Both James and Silverclaw had surprise etched across their faces. However, Silverclaw recovered first and said: "You're welcome, young heir. May your wishes be fulfilled and your enemies trample beneath your feet. Please take a seat, gentlemen, so we can proceed to business."

After they had settled in the comfortable chairs, James began: "This is my eldest son, Harry. Today is his 11th birthday; therefore he has ascended to Heir Apparent. Following the family customs, he should be given his ring today."

"Yes, of course. I wish you many happy returns of the day, young heir." Silverclaw said to Harry, before turning to James. "Lord Potter, I would also like to congratulate you and, by extension, Lady Potter on raising such a refined and cultured young heir. The ring, as you are aware, is in the secret vault in my table; ready to be retrieved at a moment's notice." Silverclaw moved his hand to the underside of the table before stopping abruptly. He took a moment to compose himself before focusing on Potter Sr. again. "My lord, if you don't mind my question; how many glorious magical families are you aware of that have died out over the centuries?"

"Quite a few of them: including Peverell, Dragonworth, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Slytherin." James replied. "Why are you asking, though?"

"All of the lines you mentioned, as well as a whole lot of others, have died out not due to lack of blood- related descendants;" Silverclaw answered "but because these houses have certain preliminary attributes and inherent qualities required in a person to take up the mantle of Lord of the house."

"If I may, Account Manager, where exactly are you going with this?" Harry inquired.

"All old magical families ask for an inheritance test every once in a while in order to try and claim some of these bloodlines." The goblin elaborated. "Aside from the monetary wealth, these bloodlines also offer a lot of prestige and political power. To put it bluntly, I was trying to hint you to take the test."

James frowned. "Don't get me wrong, Silverclaw, but why are you suggesting this. Forgive me if my experience with goblins has taught me that you people don't have even an ounce of altruistic sense. What's in it for you?"

Silverclaw said: "Lord Potter, it's not everyday that a wizard- much less the Heir Apparent of a Most Ancient and Noble House- shows respect to a goblin and deals with him as equals. I see great potential in this young man, and think he might need as much monetary and political power as possible to deal with his future."

"And how exactly is this test done?" Asked Harry.

Silverclaw replied: "It is a very simple ritual. You cut your hand and let a few drops of your blood drop onto a special kind of parchment, which then shows the result of the test. In fact, it takes only about 5 minutes, and can be done now."

James looked over to Harry. "What do you think, son?" He asked. "Want to give it a shot?"

Harry shrugged. "It's up to you, though I can't see what harm it could do."

"Good." Silverclaw clapped on James' affirmative nod. "I shall send for the materials." He pressed a rune on his desk to speak to another goblin. A minute later, a goblin entered the office and gave Silverclaw a ritual knife and an ornate sheet of parchment. Placing the parchment on the table, he passed the knife to Harry and told him to cut his palm and let the blood drop onto the parchment. A few drops later, Harry's palm automatically healed, and the parchment began to glow. As the glow faded, Silverclaw picked up the parchment and glanced at it; going pale all of a sudden. He looked at Harry, then at the parchment, then again at Harry before shaking his head in an attempt to clear it.

"By the name of my ancestors!" He exclaimed. "This is unbelievable! I must contact the Director at once!"

**Well, there you go. Hope you'll enjoy it. Feel free to inform me of your opinions**

_**AlwaysUnderEstimated.**_


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